Staff Report
MaxPreps.com
Southlake Carroll’s Texas 5A state playoff victory over Euless Trinity in 2006 helped lock down MaxPreps’ final No. 1 ranking. Last fall, De La Salle (Calif.) earned the top spot on the strength of its 37-31 win over Corona Centennial in the Division I CIF State Championship Bowl Game.
Every year, the road to No. 1 is paved with big-game victories. Here are 10 regular season contests that have the potential to shape the national championship picture in 2008;
Euless Trinity (Texas) vs. John Curtis Christian (La.) – Sept. 1
Texas Stadium plays host to clash of defending champions from a pair of football-crazed states. Texas’ Trojans will enter as heavy favorites, but under the direction of head coach J.T. Curtis, John Curtis Christian has been very successful against out-of-state competition.
Armwood (Fla.) at Tampa Plant (Fla.) – Sept. 5
These local rivals – two of the top 10 teams in Florida – square off in an early-season grudge match that will be talked about all year in Tampa. Armwood enters the season at No. 15 nationally by MaxPreps.
Don Bosco Prep (N.J.) at St. Xavier (Ohio) – Sept. 13
A win here for Don Bosco sets up the game of the year two weeks later when it travels to California to face De La Salle. Without that matchup on the schedule, however, this battle between the Ironmen and Bombers could very well be the most heavily-anticipated showdown of the fall.
Lincoln (Fla.) at Byrnes (S.C.) – Sept. 19
Byrnes – MaxPreps preseason No. 1 – will be tested against always-talented Lincoln of Tallahassee. The Rebels scraped by Dr. Phillips of Orlando last year, 18-14, in their most competitive game of the season.
Corona Centennial (Calif.) at Mater Dei (Calif.) – Sept. 19
The nation’s No. 9-ranked team (Centennial) squares off against the nation’s No. 1 recruit (QB Matt Barkley, Mater Dei) in a rematch of one of 2007’s best games. Barkley and the Monarchs prevailed a year ago, 51-37.
Rockhurst (Mo.) at Mullen (Colo.) – Sept. 19
After running the table and winning a state title in 2007, No. 12 Rockhurst has its sites set even higher this year. The Hawklets’ date with Mullen is one of three games they play against out-of-state teams.
Don Bosco Prep (N.J.) at De La Salle (Calif.) – Sept. 26
Should both teams enter unbeaten, this nationally-televised affair should draw similar hype to the Miami Northwestern-Southlake Carroll game in Dallas a year ago.
Northside Warner Robins (Ga.) at Valdosta Lowndes (Ga.) – Oct. 3
Two of Georgia’s defending state champions are now in the same league and will likely decide the title in early October. Northside owns the state’s longest winning streak at 30 games, while Lowndes rattled off 14-straight victories en route to the AAAAA title a year ago.
Carmel (Ind.) at Warren Central (Ind.) – Oct. 3
Warren Central, Indiana state champions from 2003-2006, will try and regain its swagger against sensational QB Morgan Newton and preseason national No. 11 Carmel.
Deerfield Beach (Fla.) at St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) – Oct. 17
St. Thomas Aquinas is a legitimate national title contender and should be gunning to keep an undefeated season alive here in mid-October. Deerfield Beach put a serious scare into the Raiders a year ago, coming up just short in a 45-42 loss.